The present invention generally relates to drive systems and more particularly, centrifugal engagement and disengagement drive systems.
In some aircraft, the wheels may be electrically driven by the motor during taxiing (sometimes referred to as E-taxi systems). Engagement and disengagement of the wheels to move the aircraft may require a clutch device to transfer drive power from the motor to the wheels. In some systems, the clutch device may be engaged by a direct command from the pilot. It is known to use, for example, push/pull type clutches to engage the input shaft with the output shaft. However, in some cases, the rotation of the input drive shaft may overwhelm the output drive shaft potentially damaging the elements (for example, the wheel assembly) connected to the output shaft. In other instances, the clutch device may become jammed staying connected to the output shaft after a command to disengage has been sent.
As can be seen, there is a need to for a drive system that can power a drive output device while providing a failsafe to oversped or jammed clutch devices.